It is known to control or regulate the ignition time and the amount of fuel supplied in combustion engines. The amount of combustion air supplied is typically added via a throttle element which is arranged in the intake channel and is activated by the operator via a throttle lever or is actuated by an actuator. During idling, the rotational speed of the engine is regulated to a set-point rotational speed. The set-point rotational speed can in this case be constant or vary in dependence on the temperature and/or air pressure.
Typically provided for the throttle element is an idling stop, which is settable and is set, for example, during the manufacture of the engine or during servicing. Setting takes place, for example, in the case of carburetors, in which the fuel is drawn in in dependence on the negative pressure in the intake channel, in such a manner that the idling adjusting screw is adjusted until the maximum rotational speed is reached and is adjusted from the rotational speed maximum by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction. As a result, a defined operating point of the combustion engine is achieved. In the case of combustion engines, in which the rotational speed is regulated by the regulating unit to a fixed set-point rotational speed during idling, the rotational speed remains for the most part constant when adjusting the idling stop so that it is not possible to set the idling stop above a rotational speed maximum.